Cholesterol
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cholesterol is a molecule that is found in cells. It is a type of lipid which is a fat or fat-like molecule. Cholesterol is a special type of lipid that is called a steroid. Steroids are lipids that have a special chemical structure. This structure is made of four rings of carbon atoms.
Other steroids include hormone steroids like cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone. In fact, all steroid hormones are made from changing the basic chemical structure of cholesterol. When scientists talk about making one molecule from changing simpler ones, they sometimes call it synthesis.
Hypercholesterolemia means that cholesterol level is too high in the blood.
